What parents need to know

Parents need to know that on his first solo foray, Nick Jonas shows his growing maturity, displaying an introspective side that takes a more serious approach to problems like difficult romantic relationships. Jonas seems to want to distance himself from the frothy tween heartthrob image he and his brothers made famous. That said, he leaves out the swearing and any references to sex, substances, or other adult themes.

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What's the story?

WHO I AM is the first solo CD from Nick Jonas -- the youngest member of the wildly popular Jonas Brothers trio. Backed by a band coined "The Administration" (which includes artists from Prince's New Power Generation backing band), Nick performs 10 songs that run the gamut of musical styles. Lyrically, the tunes demonstrate Nick's more mature side, taking a deeper look at difficult situations like breaking up with someone or coming from a broken home. Through it all, however, Nick sticks with the same clean approach that characterizes all of the JoBros songs: there's no swearing, sex, substances, or other adult themes in these tracks.

Is it any good?

Who I Am starts out surprisingly strong: just when you're set to hear the JoBro's bubblegum pop, the record throws out its first few stylistically diverse songs such as the title track and "Olive & An Arrow," both of which make Nick sound like a young John Mayer. Devotees of the JoBros' sound won't be disappointed, however -- tunes like "Last Time Around" and "State of Emergency" adhere to the same bouncy-pop formula that brought fame to Nick and his brothers.

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